


So many meetings

by MissSunnySweden



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: 5 Times, 5 drabbels, Alistar pov, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Reunions, au elements, pre-game, pre-templar alisitar, prequel stuff, tamlen/Mahariel/Merril friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-09 09:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4342952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSunnySweden/pseuds/MissSunnySweden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, 5 times Alistair and his Warden met/reunited. Spoilers for Dragon age Origins, Awakening and Inquisition. </p><p>Alistair/Warden Mahariel</p><p>AU elements</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything, except Elanwen's personality.
> 
> I seem to be having some sort of malware trouble that keeps randomly turning certain words into ads, leaving them capslocked even when I think I've gotten rid of the ads themselves. I try to catch this in editing, but feel free to point them out if you should see them.  
> Mental note: Stop writing your stuff in the Tumblr drafts section.

1.

He was lost, utterly and completly lost. Alistair sat down on a log, sniffiling quietly to himself. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.. Not that he had been thinking much about it. A vain desperate hope that they would perhaps miss him enough if he ran away, so that when he came back, he wouldn’t be sent away to the Chantry. But now, it seemed, he would never know the answer to that. Tears welled up in his eyes and he wiped them angrily away. Crying never helped.. A loud snap caused him to jump. A large weird looking white deer stepped into the clearing, and gave the boy a long, considering look.

“Nooo come back here! Ashelle is going to _kill_ me if we don’t get back before sundown..” A girl, perhaps a little younger than himself - or maybe she was just short - ran out into the clearing after the deer.. thing. Alistair gasped, sticking out from her messy red-hair was distinctive pointed ears. The sound caused the elf to turn around. Her eyes widened a moment, and then narrowed as she stood defensively between the deer and Alistair.

“What are you doing here?” She asked sharply.,

“i.. I’m lost.” Alistair admitted. “I’m Alistair.” He tried to smile.

“You.. got lost?” She smiled a little. “But we aren’t far from the main road at all.”

“Really? Can you show me the way?” He got to his feet. “Please… I promise I won’t tell anyone you are here.” Alistair got nervous all of a sudden. He had heard stories of Dalish kidnapping human children for.. all sorts of nasty stuff.

The girl looked him up and down for a moment, and tilted her head a little, considering it. The large deer thing lowered its head to the girls shoulder and bumped it a little. She looked at the deer and then back to Alistair.

“Fine. I take you back to the main road, if you promise to not tell anyone we’re here.”

“I promise.”

“This way then.” The girl started to walk after the large deer again, Alistair quickly followed after them.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.” he said, catching up to her.

“That’s cause I didn’t say it.” She looked at him. “I’m Elanwen. This is Assan.” She gestured to the deer.

“Nice.. Deer.”

“It’s _not_ a _deer_.” She glared at him. “He’s a Halla.”

“Sorry! Sorry! I.. I have never seen a Halla before. He’s really pretty.” The dee.. Halla, snorted.

“Of course he is. He’s one of our Halla.” Elanwen smirked at him. They continued on in silence, Alistair had to focus on where to put his feet to not fall flat on his face. Then, suddenly the forest opened up and they came up on the road that Alistair guessed - hoped - would take him back to Redcliff. As he climbed up on the road, Elanwen gripped his arm.

Remember your promise.” She hissed, eyes darting all over the road. Alistair nodded.

“They would never believe me anyway.” He smiled weakly. She nodded slowly.

“Shemlen town is that way.” She nudged her head down the road.

“Thank you.” Alistair said and started to half run. Then he stopped, and turned back to say something else, but the roadside was empty once again


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second meeting. A little more violence, but nothing graphic, and takes place before Origins.

Today was getting decisively more exiting than anything Alistair had imagined. Really, it was just supposed to be a small expedition out into the woods not far from their training grounds, just to make sure they were prepared if the hunt for apostates would lead them out into the wilderness. Just him, four other recruits and their captain. It was supposed to be cold, potentially wet, and extremely boring. 

Fighting a nest of dragonlings was not boring. What were these things even doing out in the open?! Oh wait, he knew. The three Dalish elves that had been busy trying to run away when they had crashed out on the path just in front of the small Templar group. Alistair wondered briefly where they had gone off to, before he got his focus torn back to the fight when one of the dragonlings decided to try to take his head off. He managed to block the strike in time, and slashed out, wounding the creature before it managed to withdraw its head properly. It hissed again and seemed posed to strike, when an arrow suddenly buried itself in it’s throat. Alistair turned his head to look who had fired the shot since Renly, the only one in the Templar group who used a bow, was currently in front of him, busy with another dragonling. A pair of lightblue eyes shaded by messy red hair looked back at him, and winked, giving him a cocky grin before their attention was once again pulled away. 

They were winning, and just when Alistair thought it was all over a high-pitched female scream was heard, followed by warning shouts in two voices he didn’t recognize. The air crackled with magic and the last dragonling fell by the feet of his Captain, lightning still arching of the twitching body. 

“Apostate!” The cry was in the air, before Alistair had even fully comprehended what had just happened. A moment later the world was filled with smoke even as the Templars scrambled to reach the Dalish before they disappeared into the woods. 

But they were helping us. He wanted to protest. but smoke filled his mouth and he found himself coughing harshly. 

As the smoke cleared, the dalish were gone, and so were a two of his fellow recurits, RENLY and Barnan could be heard as they seemed to pursue them throught the woods. Captain Torlin started ordering the remaining three recruits to start pulling the bodies away from the clearing so they could make camp there for the night. 

“But shouldn’t we go after the others?” Arbell, the young woman from Highever asked. 

“They’ll stumble about in the bushes for a bit before they loose track.” The older man shrugged. “if nothing else, it’ll teach them to not run off on their own.” 

“But the apostate..”

“Should have been an even bigger reason not to run off on their own.” Torlin straightened up and glared at each of them in turn. “None of you are full-trained templars. You are not ready to take on an apostate by yourselves. And you are not ready to run into an angry defensive Dalish clan. There is a reason we do not activly hunt the Dalish mages. And we do not engage them on their territory. Either Renly and Barnan learn that, or they’ll die.” Alistair flinched. Torlin had a talent for throwing uncomfortable facts in their faces, such as the odds of them surviving their first encounter with a demon (depressingly low) and now this.

They didn’t return until after the camp was set up, sweaty but smiling triumphantly. RENLY was carrying a simple wooden staff on his back next to his bow, and they were dragging someone between them. 

Allastair blinked. It was the dalish woman who had saved his life during the battle. But she had not been a mage, he had seen the bow..

“Well would you look at that. You are not dead.” Captain Torlin said, stepping forward. 

RENLY got her in the leg ser.” Branan grinned. “The other two got away.. but she was the only mage among them.” 

“Except her Keeper I BET.” Torlin muttered and looked down at the elf between them. She tilted her head up, and glared at him. “Well, secure her. We’re going to need extra guards tonight, or we’ll all be killed in our sleep when they come to get her.” 

Alistair was still to confused to say anything, but for a brief moment he caught the woman's eyes... And something in her face made him pause. 

...

It wasn’t until later in the evening, when Alistair and Arbell were the only ones awake that he got an opportunity to speak to her. He approached her where she was sitting bound at a pole in the middle of camp, surrounded by hastily but carefully drawn and arranged runes. 

“Are you alright?” he asked softly. She looked up at him, and said nothing. “Listen, I saw your leg and that must sting something awful, and Branan is all thumbs when it comes to bandages..” He trailed off. “You are not a mage.” He said finally. “They’ll find out, when we get back. Why...?”

“My clan needs a Keeper more than another hunter.” She said, voice low. “I do not have the Gift. My friend does. Every child can be a hunter, but not every child will be a mage.” She tilted her head a little, looked at him carefully. “You knew, but you didn’t tell them. Why?” 

“I.. don’t know.” He admitted. She gave him a very odd look, and then a sad little smile. 

“You are different from other shemlen I’ve met. It makes me sad.”

“Why?” Alistair asked. 

“Because I have to do this.” And suddenly her arm was free. The world exploded in a bright white light and darkness. 

When he awoke, with a worried Arbell hovering over him, the camp was in uproar, but the elf was long gone, and Captain Torlin refused to risk them stumbling into the hands of a vengeful Clan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I have a vague outline for how the other side of this story goes, but that's a story for another day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one time they met in Ostagar.

"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

A sudden snort drew his attention to the newcomer. ”I know exactly what you mean.” The woman sniggered and looked after the retreating mage. Alistair grinned brightly. 

”It's all like a party! We can all stand in a circle and hold hands! That would give the darkspawn something to think about.” He paused.” Wait, we haven't met have we?” He said, turning towards her fully now. ”I don't suppose you happen to be another mage?” She eyed him, smirking.

”Don't worry, I'm no mage.” Alistair pretended to let out a sigh of relief, and then took a closer look at the woman. She was an elf, he noted with some surprise, especially since she was wearing both armor and weapons with a stance that suggested that she knew how to make use of both. Then he noticed the markings on her face, she seemed vaguely familiar.. and everything fell into place. 

”Oh, you must be the new recruit Duncan was bringing! I should have recognized you right away, I apologize.” Her smirk softened into an honest smile. 

”It's alright. No offense taken.” 

”Good.” He made a small face. ”You didn't exactly catch me at my finest there.. With the mage. Anyway. I'm Alistair, the new Grey Warden, although i guess you knew that.” Alistair straightened up a bit. ”As the junior member of the order, I will be accompanying you as you prepare for the Joining.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She said, raising her head a bit. “My name is Elanwen Mahariel.” 

“Right, that was the name.” He smiled again. “You know.. It just occurred to me that there has never been many women in the Grey Wardens. I wonder why that is?” A teasing glint appeared in Elanwen's light blue eyes. 

“Want more women in the Wardens do you?” She said. 

“Would that be so terrible?” He started. Then realized how that sounded. “Not.. that I'm some drooling lecher or anything like that.. Please stop looking at me like that.” Alistair blushed brightly and looked away. Elanwen's laugh echoed in the ruins around them. 

“Hrm.” He struggled to get back on track again. “So... I'm curious. Have you ever actually encountered Darkspawn?” The change was instantaneous. The mirth disappeared from her face, and suddenly Alistair realized how pale she was despite tanned skinned, the dark rings underneath her eyes and a tenseness in her shoulders that seemed to have multiplied at the very mention of the creatures they were meant to be fighting. 

“Yes. Just recently.” She said in a tone that really did not invite any question about details. 

“How did you find them?” He asked instead. “When I fought my first one, I wasn't prepared for how monstrous they were.” 

“Hideous. Dangerous. But killable.” She responded in a clipped tone. There was an awkward silence for a moment. 

“Anyway...” Alistair said. “If you are ready, we should get back to Duncan. I imagine he's eager to get things started.” She nodded and began to turn back towards the camp, then she paused. 

“I look forward to travelling with you.” She said, in a much softer tone than before. 

“You do?” He said, startled. “That's a switch.” She smiled softly and as they began walking down the stairs, Alistair could only think about how pretty she looked when she smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tried to follow the original dialogue to the best of my abilities, but it's been a while, and I couldn't find any material showing of the exact dialogue tree I wanted, so I free-styled a bit, and done some minor changes in expressions and movement to make a more fluid story and less of a.. cut-scene feel.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reunion after Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full Alistair/Warden ahead.

4.

 

The landscape around Amaranthie could have been on fire, and Alistair wouldn't have noticed. His entire focus now lay on the approaching silhouette of Vigil's Keep. He was vaguely aware of Zevran next to him, and that the elf had at some point given up on trying to talk to him, and had instead begun talking to Barkspawn.

 

But Aliastair didn't care. It had been almost a full year since he had seen her last. Elanwen had left to establish the Wardens in Vigil's keep, and had walked straight into a war between Darkspawn, a decimated force defending a still weak Amaranthie and the worst thing of all.. Massive amounts of paperwork.

He had felt the disdain from the letters that had reached Denerim with the official reports on the situation.

 

Finally he had been able to put a replacement as the Grey Wardens liaison in Ferelden's court, and had left almost within the hour for Amaranthie and his lady love. It had felt wonderful to leave Denerim and it's politics behind, and with every step his heart felt lighter. Now, near the journey's end, he was tempted to run.

...

The courtyard bustled with life. Horses and men, city elves and surface dwarfs, trading, training, repairing the still persistent damage to the walls from the siege or running back and fro without any seeming rhyme or reason. Alistair paused for a moment, looking around, not sure how to proceed. Zevran's hand on his shoulder caused him to startle.

 

“I'd start inside the Keep, yes?” The antivan smirked. “You go find our Hero, and I'll see what sort of drinks Oghren keeps stocked around here.” Alistair nodded, and the elf was gone almost before Alistair could register he had moved.

 

Barkspawn looked up at him. “Why don't you go find the kennels, and get some rest yhea?” Alistair petted the large Mabari's head. “We'll come get you in a bit.” Barkspawn whined doubtfully, but finally licked Alistair's hand and walked off as well.

 

There were a few stares and tentative smiles in his direction as he walked up the stairs in the keep, but none he recognized. The throne room was not as crowded as the yard, naturally, but still there were a fair amount of people there. Some guards, some dressed in Grey Warden uniform, and others in Amaranthie's colors, and naturally a score of noblemen. But no Elanwen.

 

“Ho there!” A cheerful voice called out and he turned around. “You look lost, are you looking for anyone in particular?” A young man in mage's robes walked up to him.

 

“Y.. yes.. i'm looking for the Warden-Commander.” Alistar explained. “I just arrived from Denerim..”

 

“Oh. I see.” The mage smiled. “Well, on our Commander's orders, all news from Denerim are to be taken to her without delay. So, you're in luck.” He pointed down a hallway. “Her office would be in the end of that hallway.” He clapped Alistair on the back. “Let me show you.” Alistair thanked him and they started down the hallway.

 

They arrived at a large wooden door. A murmur of voices was heard from the room behind, but the mage simply walked up and knocked. The voices died out.

 

“What?” Alistair's heart skipped a beat the sound of her voice.

 

“You got a guest Commander. From Denerim.” The mage opened the door a bit and stuck his head inside. “You said you wanted any news first hand?”

“ _Yes_! Show them in.” The mage pushed the door fully open.There was another man in the room. A young man around Alistair's own age, but Alistair only had eyes for the elf standing behind a huge desk. Elanwen stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then she smiled widely and jumped over her own desk, almost throwing herself at him full force. For a moment, the world was only the two of them, his arms finally filled with the woman he loved, her familiar smell of forest surrounding him and her lips on his...

“So, I take it this is Alistair then.” The mage hummed in amusement.

 

“Very observant Anders.” The other man muttered. “I take it you are going to be busy this afternoon Commander?” He spoke up. Elanwen broke away from Alistair long enough to send the other man a grateful glance.

 

“Much obliged if you could handle that, Howe. There are a few reports that I need to take care off.. In private.” The young man rolled his eyes, while the mage chuckled. Elanwen smirked at him, before grabbing Alistair's arm and dragging him down a side-corridor.

 

“You could have sent a message telling me you were coming.” She said as she lead him through the hallways. “I would have outrun any messenger.” Alistair said. “Left the moment they didn't need me anymore. Zevran is here too, and Barkspawn.” Elanwen smiled.

 

“Let's go see them later, it's been way too long.” Alistair hummed in agreement, reaching in and kissing her throat. Then something finally registered.

 

“Wait. You said Howe. As in, _Rendon_ Howe?!”

 

“No, as in _Nathaniel_ Howe.” Elanwen glanced over her shoulder at him. “He's a Warden. I'll explain later. We got other things to do.” She opened a heavy looking door. There was a bedroom inside.

“Reports was it?” Alistair chuckled and embraced her again as the door closed behind them.

“Oh yes. Thorough reports.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the game apparently they only reunite in Denerim, but it also seemed that there was a significant time-period between Awakening and the reunion, and I just couldn't find a good reason for them to not even visit each other in that period.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final reunion in Skyhold. Post-Inquisition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Au where Alistair returned to Skyhold with the wardens, instead of going to Weisshaupt.
> 
> Cameo of my Inquisitor Erivinn Lavellan

Skyhold was... different. First of all it was damned cold, even in the middle of summer it felt chilly.It was a little better down in the courtyard or the gardens, protected from the wind by the thick walls. But up on the walls, Alistair was convinced that he would get frostbite if he wasn't careful.

  
  


He _could_ move down to shelter.. But...

  
  


Leliana had run to meet him the grand hall at breakfast 2 weeks ago, waving a message in the air before thrusting it into his hand. (Apperantly the sight of Leliana running was unusual enough for several members of the Inquisition to immidiatly assume the end was near.)

  
  


The message was short, scrawled in hasty messy letters, but perfectly readable – although Alistair suspected it was because he had had years of practice at this point.

  
  


_I found it. Coming to Skyhold. - E_

  
  


He looked down on the message again, carefully cradled in his hands. He had no idea when it had been sent, or from where, so Elanwen could appear at the gates _any minute_...

  
  


So of course he wasn't there when she finally showed up. Leliana had dragged him down from the wall (“I am not going to explain to Elanwen why you turned into an icicle waiting for her”). As a result, he had wandered restlessly around Skyhold, feeling warmth slowly return to his hands and feet.

  
“Ser Alistair!” A voice called out and he stopped, turned around. A runner came up to him. “The Inquisitor sent me, ser. The Hero of Ferelden..” Alistair didn't let him finish, just ran passed him towards the front gate.

  
  


There was a crowd there, and Alisitar recognised several in the Inquisitor's inner circle. He caught the gaze of the-not-Quite-A-Warden Blackwall, who gave him a slight smile and a nod. Alistairs hear was almost jumping out his chest as he manouvered through the crowd.

  
  


She was talking to the Inquisitor, the two Dalish women seemed to have moved past all formality and was conversing in easy causal tones. Barkspawn, old as he was, fur mattered with grey, was resting by her feet. It was Erivinn who spotted him first and said something Alisitar couldn't catch.

  
  


There was a new scar on her jaw. He hated the fact that she had gotten hurt, and that he hadn't been there to stop it.

  
  


“Hello Alistair.” Elanwen's voice was soft, and she walked up towards him, even as he stepped out of the crowd to meet her. “I see you fixed the sky without me.”

  
  


“That wasn't really me.” Alisitar mumbled, their hands meeting, fingers intertwining. “I did help fight a fear-demon in the Fade though.” Oh how he had _missed_ her laugh. They leaned their forheads togheter, forgetting the crowd around them.

  
  


“I found it.” Elanwen whispered, their eyes meeting. “The cure... We need a mage but.. _We're free_.” He didn't know what to say. What could he do, except smiling so wide his cheeks hurt and blink away the mist in his eyes.

  
  


“I love you.” He finally got out. She let out a breathless laugh, tears glittering in her own eyes.

  
  


“I love you too.”

  
  


He kissed her then. Passionatly, arms sliding around her narrow waist, even as she folded hers around his neck, pulling him down, closer. Someone whistled in the crowd, but they didn't care.

  
  


They would live, they had won, they were together. And all was right in the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooly crap did I actually finish a fic? Go me. Leave a comment and/or a Kudos if you enjoyed :) (I may or may not be obsessively stalking around the page)


End file.
